MVCfans.com

Bulldog4life24 wrote:If UNI can stay healthy, their group of guards and wings will compete with anyone. Thats what matters in February and March. Lots of teams with new backcourt groups that need to gel (including Drake). UNI doesn't really have that issue.

I don't think its hard at all to see UNI competing for the top. They aren't besting the Bulldogs at season's end of course, but they'll be up there

Yeah I'm not saying I don't see them as capable for competing at the top, I just am trying to see what some of the thinking is for vaulting them ahead of what i think is is a jumbled group of 4-6 teams , since all those teams finished ahead of them last year . Your point about veteran guard play is a good one but several teams can make that same case , Belmont is especially strong 1-3 . But anyway , like I said, just curious about the thinking. Won't surprise me if UNI matches the prediction, nor will it for 4-5 other teams, or at least until we see them play.

I don’t disagree with that either, Bear! I’m just excited we’re almost to basketball season

It's the Jake factor.

Honestly, he's had ups and downs (only two winning seasons in his last seven after starting his career with 10-straight winning campaigns), but he's a known commodity and that's enough in the preseason to pick them ahead of teams who lost major contributors.

I'm not sure that's the best way to approach it, but it's also not the worst way. I think UNI is likely more a 4-5 seed this year, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities to have them second.

TylerDurden wrote:It's the Jake factor.

Honestly, he's had ups and downs (only two winning seasons in his last seven after starting his career with 10-straight winning campaigns), but he's a known commodity and that's enough in the preseason to pick them ahead of teams who lost major contributors.

I'm not sure that's the best way to approach it, but it's also not the worst way. I think UNI is likely more a 4-5 seed this year, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities to have them second.

That's alot of what I was looking at ; have no problem giving a bump for Jake, but in truthfulness , maybe that should be a bump for AJ Green. In the years since 2016 w/o a healthy Green, UNI has gone 70-83 overall and just 41-51 in the Valley. They've made exactly 1 NIT appearance in 7 years even with Green . But again, they have as good a chance as probably 5-6 other teams based on returning firepower , but all those teams were better in 22/23.

TylerDurden wrote:It's the Jake factor.

Honestly, he's had ups and downs (only two winning seasons in his last seven after starting his career with 10-straight winning campaigns), but he's a known commodity and that's enough in the preseason to pick them ahead of teams who lost major contributors.

I'm not sure that's the best way to approach it, but it's also not the worst way. I think UNI is likely more a 4-5 seed this year, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities to have them second.

He's a known commodity and the roster has a lot of guys people know. That's the best way to get votes preseason. Teams with a ton of roster turnover, transfers, etc. aren't going to get voted as highly. Right or wrong that's how it is.